"McFarland, USA" is slated to open this weekend and become the latest film to showcase the Latin American struggle to achieve the American Dream.

Kevin Costner is undoubtedly the man getting all of the attention as the film's central anchor, but the heart of the story is the team of seven teenagers who actually win the statewide track meet.

Among those heroes is Thomas Valles, played by Carlos Pratts. The Texas native has been seen in a number of major TV shows and films including "The Bridge" and "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones." "McFarland, USA" is bound to be his breakout film.

The actor recently spoke with Latin Post about his experience in creating the character and working with Costner, among other things.

Latin Post: How did you get involved in this film?

Carlos Pratts: I was literally about to be killed off "The Bridge" and my manager hooked me up with an audition. I got it and I went in, and eight auditions later, I got the part.

LP: Eight auditions?

CP: Yea.

LP: How challenging is that for an actor to get called back? Does it create a certain anxiety?

CP: It is definitely challenging. You try not to think too much about it, but sometimes you can't help it.

LP: Did you meet the real-life Thomas Valles and how did that help you interpret the role?

CP: I only met him once midway through filming the movie. And only for a minute, because I had to go do another scene. He seemed like a really nice guy. Really beautiful family. And then I got to talk to him more after we saw the screening at Disney.

LP: After you met him, was there any moment where you realized you got something right about him in your characterization without actually knowing him?

CP: There is a lot of humility in the character that I play and definitely with Thomas in real life. Which is great because when you make a movie about someone, it can be misconstrued because people think that the person who the movie is about is happy because it is about them. But after speaking with him, I realized that they are excited not because the movie is about them, but because it is about the community and how it can inspire people around them. That's the kind of people they are.

LP: What kind of training did you do in preparation for the film?

CP: During the mornings for about a month, me and the guys had to go running for about five or six miles. And then, after that, we would rehearse the film from about 12 to about 4. And then I would have to go to a separate training at Redondo Beach. And there I did strength training and learned about what to eat.

LP: What was the greatest challenge in making this film for you personally?

CP: Since this is probably my largest role so far, I'd say that it was the character arc. You want to tell a story and sometimes as actors we can make a mistake and be at one level. I've made that mistake in my past.

LP: What was the experience of working with Kevin Costner and what did you learn from him?

CP: Kevin is awesome. Literally, he is the coolest guy in the world. When you work with superstars like Kevin, you notice something. And it is how they treat people. That's why they are at that level, because you want to be around them. It is a reminder that people like him treat people as well as he does, then there is no reason for us not to.

When you are with Kevin, you learn how to use your set, your environment and it makes it that much more real.

LP: What about working with the other guys? What was the comradery like?

CP: I think I can speak for all of us and say that we really have a brotherhood. I didn't come from a family of seven children, but I can imagine that if you have seven kids, they are all going to butt heads at some point. But there is nothing but love between us and we have each others' back.

LP: What was the challenge of filming that bridge scene?

CP: When you try to bring out a certain emotion, you want to tap into what you have going in your life. So doing that and then doing it again [can be difficult].

I was also very high on the bridge so it was a bit scary. I'm not really that scared of heights though.

LP: So what do you have going on after this film?

CP: I have a couple of offers.

I know there are some rumors out there about Spider-Man. It might be cool to see a Latin Spider-Man, but I have nothing to do with that.

LP: How did you know you wanted to be an actor?

CP: I was watching the movie "Friday Night Live" in college and it just really hit me. That's why I made the jump. But I think the bug really started when I was five and I saw "The Rocketeer" with Billy Campbell and I had those Easter Bunny baskets and put them on my head and pretended to be The Rocketeer. So, thank you, Billy Campbell. Thank you, Disney.

LP: So, is film where you want to stay? Or is theater something on your horizon?

CP: I would love to stay in film. It is so magical. Everything about it is pure magic.